Considerations for Building a Healthcare Sector Private Optical Network.

In nearly all healthcare organizations today, there exists a growing demand for vast amounts of network bandwidth to do everything from helping practitioners access critical data to making split-second clinical decisions, to interconnecting resources, meeting compliance requirements, and even transmitting massive imaging files across campus or across the country. For these reasons, many healthcare organizations are evaluating the option of building dedicated, private networks or continuing to buy managed network services. This deliberation applies to campus, metro, and regional networks. In particular, the ability to build a private network is growing increasingly attractive as healthcare providers strive to support emerging eHealth initiatives, such as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), real-time imaging and Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS),Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE), and clinical decision support and information systems, among other services.

In healthcare, as the trends supporting eHealth accelerate, the need for scalable, reliable, and secure network infrastructures will only grow. This paper describes the key factors and technologies to consider when building a private network, including: